Smartphones being favored most by 55-64 year olds

Everyone nowadays wants to make the transition from a phone user to a smartphone but people about to hit the senior age are most likely to do so, according to a survey by Nielson.

U.S. market research company, Nielson, reports that 30 percent American people in the age group are now smartphone equipped, a 5 percent growth over the last quarter. Although these people have a lot of catching up to do to come on par with the 62 percent smartphone-toting young population in the age group of 25-30 but, still, the figures are impressive.

Furthermore, the survey revealed that 57 percent people were still using a feature phone, while 43 percent had switched over to smartphones. It also indicated that Android had tipped iOS to become the leading operating system with 43 percent OS market share, while iOS still cruises comfortably at 28 percent. RIM’s sliding market share was down at 18 percent, while Windows Mobile is gaining ground at 7 percent.

If this is the case in the U.S, India isn’t far behind. Indian company iBall has launched a range of smartphones targeted especially at senior citizens. They have also introduced features such as an SOS button that might be of a great help in times of distress for senior citizens. This SOS button sends a siren within 7 seconds of pressing it to let other people know that the person might be in distress or need.

In fact, many large screen smartphones launched recently might have an added advantage for senior citizens.

Here too, a large ‘generation gap’ is there between the youngsters and those who have crossed their middle age regarding smartphone usage. Youngsters like more technology and feature oriented handsets, while seniors are more concerned with utility.